What I learned from the Costa Ricans

By Nikki Landosky, student
Edited by Mr. Moreland

The time we spent working in the rain forest had its effect on all of us both mentally and physically. In my opinion, it gave me more of an outlook on how people handle things and appreciate what they have. In America, people really have it easy. We have multiple ways of transportation, construction and education while in the rain forest and even parts of the city they don't have any of that. Every day I hear people complaining that they don't have the latest technology or don't get their way with something but after spending a few days with people that have barely anything and helping them build things by hand, I've learned to appreciate things lot more myself.

Another thing I've seen while I was here was the friendliness and hospitality of everyone we've met. Everyone we've worked with and have been around have just been extremely polite and friendly. In the US, it seems that all workers want to do is compete while they work. It doesn't really matter how much work actually gets done in the end, it just matters who looks the best. Meanwhile, while we worked over here, everyone worked together. Sure, we all were completely exhausted and tired out in the end, but it was ll worth it. We cleared out and leveled the place for the teacher's house near the school in Quebrada Arroyo, removed the sewage pipe in La Carpio and so much more.

Overall, I think this trip helped me learn a lot about different things.

Comparing Latin America and North American Cultures, Day 3

By Bethany Daffern
Edited by Mr. Moreland

It's day three here in Costa Rica and I've finally seen things that normally you wouldn't see back in the United States. One difference I have seen between Costa Rica and the US is Costa Rican's collectivism vs. American's sense of individualism.

For example today we had our first service trip to the Costa Rican community of La Carpio. During the interview we had before we started work the community leaders made sure that they gave everyone in La Carpio some kind of recognition for helping make the community a better place for not only their own family, but for the other people that live in the community as well.

Another thing that I noticed was the time orientation. The people of La Carpio were not in a rush to get the job done, they took their time, made sure that we were all doing everything correctly.

I felt that our service project at La Carpio will be remembered for a long time by both the people of La Carpio and by the students of City High. I really hope that by building roads in their community, we will help them gain title to their own land.

A third cultural pattern which I have noticed is the high contact of Costa Ricans vs. low contact of people from the US. In the States you wouldn't expect someone to run up to you and hug you, unless you REALLY know the person well. But here in Costa Rica it's different. When we visited the high school on Tuesday Ms. Melissa, a Costa Rican English teacher, was very happy to have received the shirt which was being presented to her. All I had expected when giving her the shirt was a simple hand shake and thank you. But instead she hugged me, and at first I thought what's going on? Then I realized that this small token of thanks meant a great deal to her.

This trip and the meaning is finally starting to kick in, and back home we have it good. Many people of Costa Rica has so much less than we do. But yet we as Americans still think we need, need, need. We don't need more things, we need to those who need our help. It doesn't matter who they are, or where they live, we're all in this together. We are a family. We live in a world that we care about, and this experience is helping me and the whole group understand these things, maybe not on day one, but after day three, I'm starting to see the meaning in this.

Adios.

Mask making in Costa Rica

Written by Ericka Peele
Edited by Mr. Moreland

So, today we were able to how traditional masks are made in Costa Rica. I thought that the mask making was really interesting becuase the man who made the masks took pride in the work he does and that each of his creations brought him joy. Traditional masks are made from stories that is told throughout a town and the masks are worn at festitivals. The man is most proud that his masks bring excitiment to many people of Costa Rica and to people around the world. I also liked the way the mask maker and a group of community children performed and danced while wearing the masks and that many people in our group joined in wearing the masks and dancing with them as well.

During that visit, I learned that even though he was doing what he loved, it wasn't his main way of making money. He had a second job working up in the mountains to support his family. It made me think about in the United States, and how some people tend to be money driven and they put aside or forget about what they love to do or fail to spend time with their family. I think more people should be like him and do what they love and love what they do. 

Being a vegetarian in Costa Rica, service learning in La Carpio

By Seth Diggs

Edited by Mr. Moreland

I wanted to first talk about how well the city high group has accommodated to my vegetarian diet. I was worried about what I would eat in Costa Rica, and so far I have been very well fed.

I have done so many different activities and learned so much. For example, we volunteered in a very poor community of San Jose called La Carpio. I really like how everyone here seems to appreciate even the smallest gestures. An example of great appreciation is when the La Carpio community leader, Chicho, thanked our 2011 group many times for helping him build roads in his community. I also like the emphasis that La Carpio put on cooperation in the community.

One recurring distinct cultural process I keep encountering is how people in Costa Rica come off to me as not being polite. I say this because every time I run into someone or vice versa they never say a word. Also when squeezing through a tight space a word is never spoken on the Costa Rican side. I think that this is a definite difference between Latin America and North American cultures.

Day 5, Poas Volcano, Masks, and Salsa Party

Written by Julia Rippel
Edited by Mr. Moreland

I haven´t had much time to post, but I´ve been having a lot of fun so far. Today we went to the Poas volcano and talked with a geologist named Rodolfo Van der Laat.

It was a long drive up to the volcano, but I kept myself busy by taking pictures and filming the scenery. We drove through a ton of coffee plantations which later gave way to milk farms (many of which were associated with Dos Pinos).

When we finally arrived, we hiked uphill through the cloud forest. It was really amazing, because we saw so many plants and trees that were totally different from the ones in the forests of Pennsylvania. One example was the poor man´s umbrella (the layman´s term for the plant), which had enormous leaves.

We saw two craters, which had both filled with water and become lakes. There was steam coming off of the first one, and there wasn´t any greenery on the rocky slopes all around it. You could also smell the sulfur. The second one was larger, and there was a lot of greenery on the surrounding slopes.

Talking with Rodolfo Van der Laat was really interesting, because you could tell he really enjoyed his job. He showed us where the ground on the overlook physically bulges when there´s an eruption coming. Also, while we were sitting and interviewing him, several small, green and black birds came right up to our feet. (I guess they were really used to people).

Later we talked to a man who makes traditional masks. He showed us his workshop and told us the process behind making the masks. He talked about his life in general as well and how he began to make masks. Some of the masks had full bodies to go with them, and he explained how these are used in parades during local festivals. He showed us how they dance during the parades, and let some of the students and teachers try them on and dance too. He also let three students sculpt some clay into the base for the masks.

That night, we had a dance party with our pen pals at the high school here in Costa Rica. Although conversation was kind of halting, it did occur. We dragged some of the Costa Rican boys onto the dance floor, and some of them helped us with our salsa moves. I was happy to practice the salsa, and I kind of learned the meringue from Matt, our guide. All in all, I had a lot of fun today.

Day 5

By: Jared Sams
Edited by: Mr. Hernandez

This is day five and I had a good day today. We talked to the geologist by the name of Don Rudolfo Van Der Laat about the Poás volcano. As we visited, we saw inside a crater where a lake sits. The trail was kind of challenging with all the different hills, turns, and steps. It was worth the hike. We also traveled to see Don Gerardo Montoya who is known for making large and colorful masks. We got a chance to see his projects. A few students were able to create a mask using clay, and they were in a small competition to see who made the best one (even though they pretty much all won). After that, there was a raffle for a prize (a mask), which I had the honor to win. The most important thing about that trip was how inspiring he was. He was happy, content, and passionate making masks. Making masks made him very happy with his life. The trip to the mask maker was what made my day; it was great!

Expedition Poas, Day 5

By Rob Matchett
Edited by Mr. Moreland

Today was our trip to the Poás volcano. Things started off pretty early in the morning again, and the only break in our routine was going to breakfast at a different place where we met a geologist (Don Rodolfo Van Der Laat) who spoke about volcanoes. We had a breakfast that included bread, rice and beans, and this delicious sour cream (called natilla) that you mix with salt. After that we piled up into our tour bus and set out on an hour and a half bus ride up the mountain to the volcano. On the way up your surrounded by coffee fields that extend for a long stretch of land. As you continue to go up in elevation the scene changes a little bit. The type of farm changes from coffee plantations to live stock, more specifically cattle farms. The streets are red dirt roads that are created as a result of the iron that is in the soil.

When you pull up to the park you find a parking lot and all of these trails with tons of plant life. One of the most dominant plants are these big leafed plants that are called poor mans umbrellas. We were being led to this building that reminded me of the movie Jurassic Park. I hiked more than I ever did in my whole life today. Most of the paths were uphill and there were a lot of steps, but when you got up to the top it was all worth it. There was this observation area that at first was full of fog or steam but it looked like you were standing in the clouds. It was so hot but when the fog blew away all you saw was this vast green lake that led down to this huge crater.

Another trail which took us even higher in elevation took us to our interview sight which was a formerly active volcano, which now contained a giant lake. Throughout the whole interview there were these brightly colored small animals like squirells and birds that kept getting our attention.

The hike up was really challenging for me but it was all worth it once I saw that scenery. The ride back was relaxing; I enjoyed all of the fresh air from the mountain hike. Then we stopped for ice cream and went to lunch.

Finally before heading back to the hotel, we drove to a man's house who showed us his collection of handmade paper mache masks. His grandfather used to make these masks, and he now makes them, so you can say the tradition lives on. He calls the masks his second family. You could tell by the look on his face that this was something that he really loved doing. After telling us about a couple of different masks he put on a show for us to show us a typical mask dance. Then he invited a few people to volunteer to put on a mask and dance. That was the highlight of my day (Aside from the sing along bus ride back to the hotel).

One of the things that I am noticing here is that material things don't matter as much as sentimental things. In America its all about the money, but here people follow their passions (the thing that they love doing) and people are so respectful. Here family is the first thing that people think about and value the most. Being poor isn't a weakness; the people still are happy and find joy in all of the small things in life. Ticos seem to feel that each day holds new experiences that you learn from. I mean so far I've learned everything from valuing hard work to appreciating nature.

Day 3

Written by DJ DAUGHTRY , student
Edited by Mr. Moreland

I would like to say that today was tough. We woke at 5:30 to eat at 6:30, so we can get out and work. Because this is Costa Rica's rainy season or winter it rains a lot, which in turn means they have early and long days. So similar to the average Tico or Costa Rican we got up early and went straight to work. It was amazing. I personally love working with my hands and doing hard labor because it just feels good to me, but this was different because it wasn't just mindless work, it was work that really helped the community. We helped finish a cement road.
Some of the reasons this job really benefits the community:

• La Carpio is what is know as a squatter town, mainly Nicaragua immigrants,
  
• Because it being a squatter town the people have no right to their land, and
  
• The only way they get full access to their land is to build roads, sidewalks, indoor pluming and such

So by doing this we are really helping La Carpio. And we have another early start tomorrow!

Another thing I want to talk about before I catch some sleep. is a CCI or Cross Cultural Incident. In class before we talked about how there are general cultural differences between Latin America and North America. One we talked about and I observed was the fact that here it's more about team work than self glory. In the Dos Pinos factory we were told how they are a co-op or a cooperative. In a nutshell this means that they are not like a corporation who has one main leader, rather the Co-op has many and equal share holders. All these share holders cooperatively provide leadership. They are all equal and make decisions as such. And this is a major change from American business philosophy.

All in all I'm having a great time. Today was no rain which I loved, and the food gets better everyday. Today we had new drink made out of fruit that grows in the back yard!

First impressions

By: Rob Matchett (student)

Despite the plane rides that took up almost half the day yesterday turned out to be pretty cool. We arrived here in San Jose and got to our hotel. So far it does not seem too different. It just seems like someone put a blindfold on me and then switched the signs to Spanish. We went to a grocery store and it was really cool. I was shocked at how cold it gets at night.

The food is really great here though so I guess I could learn to like it here.

My Excitement and Major Fears

Just thinking about going to Costa Rica have my nerves on edge, especially since I have graduation going on. I am very excite to meet many new people like Espy Campbell, Manuel Obregon, and my pen pal whose name is Jose. I am looking forward to screaming down the zip line and taking a dive in the water, seeing many animals, like a monkey or a jaguar. What I am not the happy about is that I have get on a plane because I have NEVER been on a plane and I have watched so many scary movie avoiding planes going DOWN. I am, also, not that excited about bugs! They are my ultimate worse enemy and I thought I was over it but I am not. So I have to get over this fear or else...

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One thing in particular that i am excited to do is meeting the other kids. I can't wait to see what it's like to interact with people from another culture. I want to share this excitement by making new friends.
One thing that I am hesitant about is the food. I am afraid that i may go through withdrawal for peanut butter. However I believe i can cope by not thinking about it much.